This invention involves an apparatus to crush empty cans that is operated by hand and more specifically involves an apparatus to crush empty soda or beer cans end to end with a substantially reduced physical effort and to smaller volume.
The single most effective recycling program is that of empty aluminum cans, most of which have been previously filled with soda or beer. In particular, the recycling of aluminum cans is the most environmentally effective program in that the energy costs to reuse the metal from the recovered cans is only a fraction of that necessary to produce aluminum metal from the ore. The recycling of the empty cans is an established element of commerce which not only benefits society but in removing cans from the highways and byways but provides free enterprise funding for recycling including collection and reuse disposal. The major problem in the collection process is that the empty cans take up a major volume with very little weight. The recycling effort encourages the purchaser or the vendor to return the empty containers ultimately to the can manufacturers. Unfortunately, these procedures cause a number of storage and transportation problems. Many facilities collect a large number of cans, such as restaurants, cafeterias, manufacturing facilities that have at least one and typically a large number of can dispensing coin operated machines. In a relatively short period of time, the volume of empty cans collected causes a major problem. Empty cans take up as much space as full cans in the home of the consumer, in the storeroom of the store, and in the cargo compartment of a truck. The requirement of storing and handling these used cans creates inconvenience for all parties and increases overhead expenses that could exceed the savings resoluting from the recycling of the materials. It has thus been desirable to crush the empty cans so that they will take only a fraction of the space during recovery process. Over the last few years, it has been common to have can crushers located close to the source of the empty soda or beer cans for use either by the employees of a food dispensing establishment or the customers themselves. However, the can crushers in the market either require substantial physical effort to crush the can, are too complicated and expensive, or pose a significant risk of injury to the hands during the crushing operation. A common portable can crushing apparatus is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,345,520 to Goldsmith et al. Commerical can crushers of that general design are supplied without the elongated wedge on the face of the piston. These devices include a housing using a similar lever mechanism to that of Goldsmith et al with an opening in the bottom of the housing sized to allow the crushed can to drop downwardly into a collecting container in a fashion as illustrated in FIG. 1, although that figure illustrates a device and method of the present invention. These devices require about forty to forty-five pounds force being applied to the handle in order to crush the can. Further, they pose a substantial risk of slicing or crushing fingers in the device during the can crushing operation.
While a number of industrial can crushing apparatus suitable for use at a recycling collection site may be powered by electric motors and are safe to handle, such devices are not practical for a basically commerical or consumer use at the site of consumption of the canned drinks.
None of the prior art devices satisfy these problems or attain the objects of the present invention described hereinbelow.